Plants and Trees

Bananas grow on large herbaceous plants rather than on trees, despite their tall and sturdy appearance.

Moss absorbs water directly through its leaves and can survive long dry spells by shutting down.

Fungi belong to their own kingdom, separate from both plants and animals, and feed by absorbing nutrients.

Dandelion seeds travel on the wind, carried by a tiny parachute of fine hairs attached to each seed.

Sunflowers turn their young flower heads to follow the sun across the sky during the day.

Tree rings form each year as a trunk adds a new layer of wood beneath its bark.

Roots anchor a plant in the soil and draw up water and dissolved minerals from nearby particles.

Cacti store water in thick fleshy stems, which is why they survive for weeks without rainfall.

Venus flytraps snap shut when tiny hairs inside their traps are touched twice in quick succession.

Orchid seeds are so small and light that a single pod can hold thousands of them.

Bamboo is a grass, and some of its species can grow quickly enough to be measured in hours.

Leaves look green because chlorophyll inside them absorbs red and blue light while reflecting green.

Autumn colours appear when chlorophyll breaks down and reveals pigments that were hidden all summer.

Ferns reproduce using spores rather than seeds, releasing them from small clusters on the undersides of fronds.

Conifers keep their needles through winter, which lets them start growing as soon as weather warms.

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that taps into tree branches to steal water and nutrients.

Coconut palms spread by dropping fruit into the sea, where buoyant husks float to distant shores.

Maple seeds spin like tiny helicopters as they fall, slowing their descent and catching passing breezes.

Peat bogs preserve pollen grains for centuries, giving scientists a record of ancient plant life.

Lichens are a partnership between a fungus and an alga living together as one crusty organism.

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi, appearing above ground only when conditions suit them.

Squirting cucumbers build pressure inside their fruit and then fire their seeds away from the plant.

Wheat, rice, and maize are all grasses that people depend on for a large share of their food.

Tulips continue to grow after being cut, which is why their stems bend toward light in a vase.

Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living trees, with some individuals thousands of years old.

Sequoias rank among the tallest trees on Earth, rising well above the surrounding forest canopy.

Poinsettias produce colourful leaves called bracts, while the actual flowers are the small yellow centres.

Nettles sting through hollow hairs that break on contact and release an irritating chemical into skin.

Ivy climbs walls using small rootlets that grip surfaces, allowing it to reach more sunlight.

Mangroves grow in salty coastal water and filter salt out through special glands in their leaves.

Strawberries carry their tiny yellow seeds on the outside of the red fruit people eat.

Acorns are the seeds of oak trees, and each one can grow into a full-sized tree.

Pollen travels between flowers on the backs of bees, butterflies, and other visiting insects.

Flowering plants appeared long after conifers and quickly became the most widespread group of land plants.

Rafflesia produces one of the largest single flowers in the world and smells like rotting meat.

Seaweed is not a true plant but a type of algae that lives attached to rocks underwater.

Grass recovers quickly after being grazed because it grows from the base rather than from tips.

Dodder is a twining parasite that wraps around other plants and draws nourishment from their stems.

Sensitive plants fold their leaves inward within seconds of being touched, then reopen a short time later.

Baobab trees store water in their swollen trunks, helping them endure long dry seasons in Africa.

Tree roots usually spread far wider than the crown above them, often reaching well beyond the canopy.

Photosynthesis turns sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into sugar, releasing oxygen as a by-product.

Transpiration pulls water up through a plant as it evaporates from tiny pores in the leaves.

Bulbs such as onions and daffodils store food underground so the plant can regrow each spring.

Climbing beans curl around supports because one side of their stem grows faster than the other.

Pine cones open and close with humidity, releasing seeds when the air is dry enough to carry them.

Clover often folds its leaves at night and raises them again once morning light returns.

Seeds can lie dormant in soil for years and still sprout once light and moisture improve.

Bark protects the living tissue inside a trunk from insects, fire, drying winds, and disease.

Pollinated flowers swell into fruits that protect seeds and help carry them away from the parent.

Fungi spread through vast underground networks of thin threads that break down dead material for food.

Carnivorous plants live in boggy ground where soil is poor, so they catch insects to supplement their diet.